All Of This Is Very Interesting And I Definitely Enjoyed The Read But I Think I'm A Little Uninformed:

all of this is very interesting and I definitely enjoyed the read but i think I'm a little uninformed: who is Puppetmaster Rick?

You're a little different, though, Rick (maybe I can use that someday)

Did we... really consider what Evil Morty was actually saying?

Sure, Rick C-137 is the most obvious choice for Omega Device blackmail, since:

he already knows EM is in possession of this extremely lethal weapon; any other Rick would need a demonstration as proof

he is one of the most powerful Ricks

he is (slightly) less of a monster than other Ricks and has treated EM with basic respect, which I'm sure makes him more palatable to EM

...but then, wouldn't Eyepatch Morty simply say something along the lines of: "You know I could take everything of yours away... maybe I can use you someday" instead?

But he didn't say that; he implied Rick's "difference" could be useful.

One possibility is that EM has faith in Rick C-137's shriveled (but existent) humanity and his moral debt to EM (because he saved Rick's life in the Prime Fight) and trusts Rick to support him if simply he asksHAHAHAHHA (I mean, Rick probably would, but if other stuff are at stake, he ain't exactly reliable...)

...Let's explore EM's options, shall we?

Option 1: Eyepatch Morty forces Rick C-137 to work for him under the Omega Device threat (duh)

He one day sends a message to Rick C-137, demanding that Rick goes to X place and does Y thing in his stead, or else. Eyepatch Morty monitors the process remotely, safely out of reach of Rick C-137's wrath, desire for rebellion, vengeance or (depending on what the mission is) desperation to refuse.

This scenario carries the least (direct) risk for EM, although given EM's well-proven capabilities, hatred for Ricks and desire to be left alone, it would be clear to Rick that Eyepatch Morty is DESPERATE for someone to go to X and do Y, cannot manage by himself for some reason, and has no choice but to ask for help. Given Ricks' suicidal tendencies, this opens up the possibility of Rick C-137 sabotaging the mission somehow, or figuring out EM's long term goal, and botching that. There is inherent risk to forcing someone who hates you to perform some vital task for you (it would really be best if Eyepatch Morty could somehow trick Rick C-137 into performing said vital task without Rick knowing it was designed to benefit EM... I wonder how he could go about that...)

If EM threatens to take out Beths and Jerrys along with Ricks (or even only Beths and Jerrys) Rick C-137 will become both more motivated to succeed this one mission, and to eventually find a workaround to kill this kid blackmailing him.

(but with this "EM leaves a message" scenario, we won't see EM and Rick c-137 actually interact, which is not so cool, narratively speaking, so...)

Option 2: Eyepatch Morty tags along in whatever task he demands of Rick C-137

He would need to take a couple of precautions to make sure Rick C-137 doesn't stab him in the back during the mission, such as...

claiming he has connected his brain (via eyepatch) to the Omega Device and can kill anyone with but a thought; so don't test him

claiming he has an AI system monitoring his own health and status, and it is programmed to instantly fire the weapon against Ricks should something unexpected happen to him (but don't worry, he'll turn it off once he goes home)

claiming he has already set the Omega Device to fire against Ricks (and/or Beths and Jerrys) after a specific (but unknown to Rick) amount of time. The only way to avoid this is is for Eyepatch Morty to return home and personally cancel the order. Anyway, he is now going to X place to do Y dangerous thing; would Rick C-137 maybe like to tag along and makes sure Eyepatch Morty stays safe and returns home? Yes? Splendid.

The first options, however, suggest the existence of some sort of signal which could be traced either back to EM or to the Omega Device; and the last option still allows for EM to get traced, if Rick C-137 overpowers him and tries to read his mind or portal gun history; especially if he uses time crystals to outpace the signal. There is some inherent risk, whichever option(s) Eyepatch Morty choses...

Option 3: Eyepatch Morty claims he has set the device to kill all Mortys should something unexpected (death or entrapment) happen to him

"If I'm gone, all Mortys might as well die; I won't have anything to lose but you do. Come along and keep me safe."

Now that's interesting. Rick C-137 has been through a few families, but only one Morty... Quite an... unusual attachment, for a Rick.

And I can think of one scenario where if Eyepatch Morty fails to succeed, his own death brought by the Omega Device is actually the best outcome.

(what I like particularly in all these options is that Eyepatch Morty would essentially only be asking for someone to keep him safe; for someone to take care of him. It could be phrased as an extreme and cruel precaution against Rick C-137 turning on him, but in reality it would only be a desperate child needing support; needing a guardian. Not a villain hoarding power.)

Of course, WE know that this threat would be the one most devastating to Rick C-137, but would EM really think that? Or does he simply think that Rick C-137 has some attachment to Morty Prime...?

In any case...

HERE'S WHERE I'M GOING WITH ALL THIS:

I DO THINK THAT EYEPATCH MORTY'S PLAN TO USE RICK C-137 ACTUALLY REVOLVES AROUND MORTY PRIME.

Rick C-137's attachment to Morty Prime is what really makes him different, isn't it???

Sticking to one Morty since season 1 is what makes Rick C-137 truly different. Crying over Morty Prime is what makes Rick C-137 truly different. Telling Morty Prime to escape with Eyepatch Morty instead of helping him is truly different.

AND THIS OPENS UP THE POSSIBILITY OF EYEPATCH MORTY NOT HAVING TO USE THE OMEGA DEVICE THREAT TO GET WHAT HE WANTS. AT. ALL.

It's possible he wasn't even referring to the Omega Device when he said that...!

This is supported by the stuff EM actually said.

He has suggested he won't even build the weapon, will be monitoring Rick C-137, and will only build it (improved) in self defense:

Eyepatch Morty suggested he might use Rick C-137 afterwards, like it was almost a secondary, irrelevant thought.

So...

Option 4: It's complicated

If, as I suspect, Rick C-137 performed a great act of cruelty to Morty Prime a long time ago, and has spent the rest of his life trying to make up for it...

...and if Eyepatch Morty has connected the dots, then he can threaten to reveal some very damaging facts to Morty Prime if Rick C-137 doesn't play along... Do you want to lose your one chance for redemption, Rick?

But of course, that's all far-fetched. Even if this theory is true, it's a stretch to think EM would have realized the extent of Rick C-137's guilt. Maybe things are a lot more straightforward...

Option 5: Freaky Mortys Theory (oh yes)

Eyepatch Morty definitely knows that Rick C-137 has stayed with Morty Prime all this time, hasn't replaced him, and acts to protect him. Rick C-137 may abuse Morty Prime same as every other Rick does, but also exerts (some) effort to keep Morty Prime alive.

...So imagine Puppetmaster Rick's attempts to locate Eyepatch Morty by his brainwaves/dimensional signature begin getting a little too close for comfort...

...and Eyepatch Morty simply...

...takes off his eyepatch and pays a visit to the parmeesian dimension.

He could then simply wait until Puppetmaster Rick teleports to their location to get his revenge... to which Rick C-137 will promptly respond by defending "Morty Prime", as he always does. Rick C-137 would be Eyepatch Morty's second-to-last line of defense (the last one being the fingerguns).

Of course, for this to work Eyepatch Morty would have to either time his visit with Morty Prime being somewhere else, or he could kidnap Morty Prime and put him in temporary stasis somewhere; both so that Rick C-137 never notices there is one Morty more than usual, and to keep Morty Prime safe (Puppermaster Rick would be the most dangerous Rick to a Morty...!)

(Although it would be less interesting, narratively speaking, it's also possible Eyepatch Morty never even actually shows his face in the Smith household, but remains hidden somewhere nearby, long enough to trigger Puppetmaster Rick's radar, and skedaddles the moment Puppetmaster Rick makes an appearence...)

Option 6: Sicing Rick C-137 directly against Puppetmaster Rick

Eyepatch Morty could take off his eyepatch, go up to Rick C-137, and sprout a bunch of lies, such as:

a strange, unhinged Rick portaled all of a sudden to his school

claimed he wanted to take "Morty Prime" with him to the [insert Puppetmaster's dimension here] dimension, so that he'd be his Morty

"Morty Prime", in an attempt to scare him off without angering him, told him that he'd happily go, but unfortunately Rick C-137 is his Rick and he would be pretty mad

said Rick backed off but also said he'd come back, better prepared, within the next few days.

I'M SO SCARED, RICK

Cue an angry Rick C-137 paying a visit to the dimension of the unsuspecting Puppetmaster Rick.

................

Of course, these are all baseless assumptions and theories, with a lot of moving parts and plenty of room for disaster. I mean:

Something as simple as the wrong exchange of words between Puppetmaster Rick and Rick C-137 could make (a) Puppetmaster Rick realize that this Rick's Morty ain't actually his target, and (b) Rick C-137 realize the fight over the Morty is just a misunderstanding, and they'd stop killing each other; plus they might begin to question how the misunderstanding occurred in the first place.

How would one explain actual Morty Prime not remembering that another Rick tried to kidnap him after all this was over??? (this can be resolved if neither Morty Prime nor "Morty Prime" ever make an appearance, and Puppetmaster Rick portals in the household when only Rick C-137 is there; or if "Morty Prime" pretends to mindblow himself over the traumatic experience of a version of his grandpa trying to kidnap him)

And what if something went wrong and Eyepatch Morty's cover was blown while he was impersonating Morty Prime, in front of both Puppetmaster Rick, AND Rick C-137? YOUCH. They'd team up against the kid. Talk about a nightmare scenario.

Like I said, lots of moving parts, REALLY BIG RISK.

BUUUUUT

This doesn't mean the possibility isn't there. I think there is a lot of wriggle room for a version of the above scenarios to play out, and there are a lot more possibilities than the initial "do this or else" that I think was in all of our minds in the beginning.

We all awww-ed over the "you are a little different, Rick" part (a canon admission!!) but did we really think of what this difference actually meant for Eyepatch Morty, or of how it could be applied in a way that is beneficial to him?

If Eyepatch Morty prioritizes stealth and hiding his own connection to Puppetmaster Rick (a likely scenario; he wouldn't want ANYONE to know that there is an almost-functional implant in his head that, were it to be overriden, would lead him to getting puppeteered forever and/or easily killed) then he could very well temporarily impersonate Morty Prime to access being protected by his grandpa.

...even if this luxury has to be obtained through underhanded means... as usual.

So:

I think there is a very real possibility that in a future season we will have an episode with Eyepatch Morty casually waltzing around in the Parmeesian Smith household, and us viewers having no clue (actually... not so much waltzing around. If this scenario were to play out, given what's at stake, how badly this could blow up in his face were his identity to be revealed, his nerves already being wrecked by being literally hunted down, having no way to physically protect himself other than the fingerguns, going to Rick C-137 in desperation, and Rick C-137 being his second-to-last line of defense... I wouldn't be surprised if Eyepatch Morty was visibly worn out and genuinely terrified in such a scenario.)

Same as there is a very real possibility of Puppetmaster Rick (the most dangerous Rick to a Morty) and Morty Prime crossing paths (argh)